


25 Days of Ego Christmas

by Im_The_Doctor (Bofur1)



Category: Video Blogging RPF, Youtube RPF
Genre: Advent Calendar, Angel Wings, Angels, Baking, Brother-Sister Relationships, Candy Canes, Caring, Christmas Cookies, Christmas Fluff, Christmas Stockings, Christmas Tree, Clumsiness, Coffee, Digital Art, Eggnog, Family Dynamics, Family Fluff, Ficlet Collection, Forgotten Ones, Hope, Hot Chocolate, Hypothermia, Ice Skating, Illustrated, Interviews, Late at Night, Loneliness, Magic-Users, Magical Accidents, Messy, Mischief, Multiple Selves, News Media, Non-Sexual Bondage, Obsession, Old-Fashioned, Pie, Popcorn, Sledding, Snow and Ice, Snowmen, Symbolism, Tinsel, Unrequited Love, Who Killed Markiplier?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-08
Updated: 2017-12-25
Packaged: 2019-02-12 06:02:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 25
Words: 6,949
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12952905
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bofur1/pseuds/Im_The_Doctor
Summary: No matter their age, no matter their affiliation or the darkness in their hearts, and even if it was just in one small way, none of them were completely impervious to the joys of the Christmas season...





	1. Introduction

Hey there!

I'm posting this a little late, on the 8th of December instead of the 1st (which is the one day I missed...) but I've been following and keeping up with the 25 Days of Ego Christmas and thought I would share my art and little stories for it! Some may only have captions, but some may have larger stories they're connected to. You can look forward to new ones every day of December; I almost have them all done already! XD I hope you enjoy!

 

Sincerely,

Im_The_Doctor/Bofur1


	2. Hot Chocolate

This is Day Two of the 25 Days of Ego Christmas: Hot Chocolate! Robbie was calling for it and I think it turned out pretty cute! (Don’t ask me about that background though; I just did it on a whim XD)

~~I’ll bet there’s banana milk in that hot chocolate too~~


	3. Snow

Day Three of the 25 Days of Ego Christmas: the theme is snow! It was the perfect opportunity to show my headcanon that any kind of weather that enters Dark's aura gets corrupted when it hits! Hence the blue and red snowflakes :3   
  
What are you doing out in this kind of weather, Dark? Wilford and the Host will worry... 


	4. Candy Canes

_Dr. Iplier: “Wilford! You were only supposed to take one!”  
_

_Will: ???_

_Dr. Iplier: “One candy cane! You have two!”_

_Will: “Nhm mh fhaul mey mere mhntnded.”_

_Dr. Iplier: “…What?”_

_Will: *spits them out* “NOT MY FAULT THEY WERE UNATTENDED!”_

Day Four of the 25 Days of Ego Christmas: Candy Canes. Wilford turned out really cute in this one! Also halfway through drawing him, I realized I could have put him in the candy cane striped jacket he used to wear, but it was too late to change it, so I just draped it over his legs. It’s keeping his legs warm  ~~because fishnet stalkings aren’t warm enough for winter~~  <3


	5. Christmas Tree

_“All it needs is a little love!”_

Day Five of the 25 Days of Ego Christmas: Christmas Tree! Of all Egos to find a little tree, Jameson is most likely to save it! He’s such a sweetie <3


	6. Angel

_Even if he couldn’t have the love and happiness he wanted, he would do what was in his power to ensure others could._

Day 6 of the 25 Days of Ego Christmas: Angel, which is exactly what Chase is <3 Poor boy needs love, but the best he can get is giving it to others. It was a lot of fun drawing wings for the first time!


	7. Pie

Alright, Marvin was willing to admit that there were some…rather unfortunate consequences from the enchanted microwave and the enchanted oven last Christmas. Schneep had some pretty intense claustrophobia now, Chase was throwing up for three weeks, and Robbie’s hair had taken almost all year to grow back – not that the zombie had actually  _noticed_ his head was on fire.

Jackieboy had noticed, unfortunately, and he’d firmly banned the use of magic on any kitchen appliances. Of course, Marvin prided himself on finding the loopholes for his tricks. No one had ever said anything against enchanting the food itself!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 7 of the 25 Days of Ego Christmas: Pie! Annnd I have a feeling Marvin’s going to regret playing with his food…


	8. Tinsel

Silver Shepherd had, of course, known that it was a bad idea to open the box of tinsel, especially given what had happened last year. Dr. Iplier had been absolutely furious upon finding his immaculate decorations in shreds and tangles. When he discovered that the knots themselves were in knots, he had taken a bright red marker and made it clear that Shepherd, Wilford, and the Host were  _never_ to touch the decorations again. Why that hadn’t been established during Wilford’s first year of existence, Shepherd was left to wonder.

Perhaps it had something to do with Wilford’s infamous talent for puppy faces; that was the only way he had convinced Shepherd to sneak the box open. “We’ll be doin’ the doc a favor, won’t we?” the older Ego drawled, slinging an arm around Shepherd’s shoulders. “He’s awfully busy with the shoppin’. Someone has to brave the mess and who better than our upstanding hero?”

Neither of them had counted on Dr. Iplier coming home early. He dropped the shopping bags with a muffled crashing of some fragile glass items and stared down at the flustered superhero for several long seconds before pressing his lips together in a thin, grim smile.

“Well, then. Since you’ve started without me, I’ll get the rest of the ornaments. You’re our new Christmas tree.”

“Wha – ? Wait!” Shepherd called desperately as the doctor turned on his heel and strode out. Peering under the nearby couch, he whispered nervously, “Will…?!”

“Don’t you worry, Sill,” Wilford hissed back as he crawled into sight, covered in dust bunnies. “I’ll cut ya loose!”

Wincing, Shepherd held up his arms, pieces of tinsel falling from them. “Oh, gee…Just don’t kill me in the process, okay? Host?”

“The Host acknowledges,” the third accomplice murmured from the other end of the room.

“You’re the lookout! Just make sure he doesn’t come back!” When a rather sinister smile formed on the Host’s lips, Shepherd swallowed. “I…didn’t mean like  _that_ …” _  
_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 8 of the 25 Days of Ego Christmas: Tinsel! It was a lot of fun learning how to use the spread setting on my brush! Also yes, when Wilford and Shepherd conspire together (rare as it may be), they call each other “Will” and “Sill” and it makes me happy <3


	9. Ice Skating

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 9 of the 25 Days of Ego Christmas: Ice Skating! As it turns out, I've actually written a story with Host and Google as skating buddies before I even found out about Ego Christmas (perhaps you've read it already?) so it was really easy to find a scene behind this picture XD 

Of all days for his Sight to be troublesome, it would naturally be today, right now, when he was completely out of his element, the Host learned straightaway, swallowing hard and swiveling his head back and forth hopelessly. He had no idea what was going on around them; all he could feel was the ice underneath him and Google’s trembling arms acting as his towlines. 

He despised being out of control, he mused scathingly, retightening his grip on Google’s wrists. It was frankly a miracle that he managed to stay upright with help, much less on his own. He didn’t want to imagine what might happen if Google let him go.

The android himself didn’t seem particularly stable; every so often he would slow, a large, vibrational shudder rolling through his frame, and then he continued hobbling awkwardly along as if nothing had happened. The Host could hear Wilford jeering at the pair of them, the sound echoing off railings so the Host couldn’t quite pinpoint where it was coming from. If he had, he would have narrated something unfortunate in his direction, but as it was, his cheeks stung against the cool air as he flushed.

“I’ll remember to add him to the list of people to destroy,” Google muttered shallowly, to which the Host couldn’t help but huff lightly in agreement. He highly doubted that was ever going to happen, but it was the thought that counted.

Not too long afterward, by no small fault of Google’s malfunctioning guidance systems, they ended up causing a six-person pileup—in which Wilford was on the very bottom, flailing and cursing—and the Host would never admit it, but he genuinely hadn’t seen it coming. It very well could’ve been considered the highlight of his day.

 


	10. Frost

This would be the year. Yandere pressed his chapped lips together in a smile at the thought, staring up into the swirling snow and ignoring how the bitterly cold wind made his eyes sting. It was a pretty good possibility that he would cry sometime tonight anyway, so a little watering was nothing to worry about. His smile widened then; if he did cry, they would be tears of joy. What else could he feel? This was  _the night!_

The other Egos told him not to come, just as they always did. Dr. Iplier advised that it was bad for his health. Dark had told him it was a hopeless little fantasy. Yandere had simply glowered in response, shaking his head. What did Dark know? True love was more important than anything else; it was what Christmas was about!

As he’d brushed past Dark toward the door, Bim had caught ahold of his arm and pulled him back. “Yan…don’t go,” he’d muttered, much to Yandere’s surprise. Bim of all people should understand the importance of what he was doing! They’d stared at each other for a full minute before Bim finally relented, prying his fingers off Yandere’s arm as if he was fighting himself.

This was no fantasy. Tonight, his senpai would meet him here, and Yandere would finally, finally be given the chance to express his feelings. All he had to do was wait, prepare everything he had to say…There was  _so much_ he wanted to say! He leaned against the icy brick wall by the street lamp, hugging himself as he quivered with excitement and nervousness. His uniform felt thin and clingy as snow gathered on his shoulders and the wind whipped at his skirt. He had been so excited to come that he’d forgotten every single piece of his winter clothing.

“S-S-Silly me,” he breathed, giggling faintly as he slumped lower against the wall, shivering violently and scanning the darkness for any sign of his love. “Silly me…”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 10 of the 25 Days of Ego Christmas: Frost. Poor Yandere…He’ll wait for his love with the dedication of Linus waiting for the Great Pumpkin. In this case, Bim is Lucy, braving the terrible weather to find his friend a frostbitten, heartbroken, half-conscious lump against the wall. :( Dr. Iplier will tell him that next time he does that, he’s gonna die. Yan just promises himself that next year will be the one…


	11. Eggnog

“Jackieboy, is there  _anything_ you can’t do?” Chase asked in wonder, peering over the older Ego’s shoulder as he whisked egg yolks and hot milk in a large bowl. Jackieboy grinned, nearly elbowing Chase as he turned around and swept the bowl out proudly.

“Chase, you know that superheroes can’t reveal the limits of their powers!” he scolded good-naturedly before twirling back toward the counter, purposely blocking Chase’s view as he added a few other ingredients. Schneep cut off Chase’s complaints as he strode into the kitchen, juggling dozens of candy canes.

“Jackie’s eggnog is always – mwah! No one can resist!” he exclaimed, miming a kiss as best he could with his hands full. “But he always forget the peppermint sticks for the glasses!”

“Sooner or later, we’re gonna convince you to actually call them  _‘candy canes,’_ ” Marvin warned, to which Schneep shook his head violently.

“They are peppermint, they are stick, they are peppermint sticks! Dr. Schneeple does not  _need_ cane!”

“Finished!” Jackieboy announced cheerfully, slopping his eggnog into several ready glasses and then adding the finishing touches on each: a dash of whiskey for Chase, a shot of espresso for Schneep, some butterscotch syrup for Marvin, whipped cream for Robbie, and a spoonful of nutella for Jameson, topping all of the above with nutmeg and a candy cane…peppermint stick. The rest he poured into some extra glasses in case someone wanted seconds; he wasn’t about to have them fighting over the last of his coveted brew on such a nice night!

Unfortunately, a fight started to look like a very real possibility when Jameson rose for his second glass and found nothing but a wet candy cane in its place. Spinning around on his heel, he doubled his fists at his sides, his speech slides taking over the nearby TV screen: “As I live and breathe! The nerve! Which one of you greedy guts has stolen my second drink?!”

All of them glanced around wildly, finding no sign of the culprit, and Jameson moved briskly to stand in front of them, planting his hands on his hips. “You rascals! If you’re playing some kind of joke on me because this is my first holiday season with you –” His slide froze suddenly as he looked over their heads, toward the back of the room, and his mouth fell open. The words on the slide filtered away into nothing, replaced by just one:

“…Anti?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 11 of the 25 Days of Ego Christmas: Eggnog. Not even Anti can resist Jackieboy’s eggnog, and seeing as he likes gettin’ messy with things…he’s not the best of houseguests! I was giggling the whole time I was drawing this; I think it’s my favorite of all the Ego Christmas pics so far! XD


	12. Cider

“Damien, what in heaven’s name are you doing down here?”

Pressing his lips together in a rueful smile, Damien looked up toward the stairs of the cellar and chuckled self-consciously at the sight of his sister, cider in hand. He had hardly seen her since he first arrived for the Christmas party; she and Mark had been joined at the hip, greeting all of their guests. It was good to see them getting along so well for once. Perhaps it was the magic of the holidays.

“Hello, Celine,” he greeted from where he sat on the floor, tucking his shoeless feet underneath him. “You look beautiful. Mother’s dress suits you.”

Celine smiled a little, ducking her head and smoothing her free hand over the crimson velvet. “Well, thank you, but flattery won’t help you avoid my question. What are you doing down here? You are the newly-elected Mayor and several other officials are upstairs. You should be  _socializing_ , building a rapport.”

“There’s only so many speeches and congratulations I can endure before I need some time to enjoy my drink in peace,” Damien sighed, rubbing a hand fondly against the cool floor and then swirling his nearby glass of cider. “This seemed like the most secluded place.”

“Unless you wanted to brave the garden,” Celine pointed out as she approached. “We ought to find someone who can properly deal with the spiders.” After a pause, she shifted uncomfortably and then reached out. “Come up, Damien. I haven’t seen you in what feels like ages.”

Damien looked her up and down for a moment or two and then accepted the hand, but instead of letting her help him up, he scooted back and pulled her down, much to her surprise. “You see me now,” he reminded her with a benign smile. “Perhaps it would do us both good to take a breath.”

Celine seemed unsure of herself for a few minutes, cupping her drink tightly in both hands and giving him a wary sideways stare. Damien demonstrated, his smile widening as he picked up his glass and wordlessly toasted her. When she realized he wasn’t about to go anywhere, she relented, sighing in fond exasperation, slipping her heels off, and tossing them aside.

“A toast to your social instincts then, brother, but I do hope you’ll learn to let others in eventually,” she remarked before sipping her cider.

“I will…once they learn to let  _me_ in,” he replied simply. From then on, they stayed quiet.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 12 of the 25 Days of Ego Christmas: Cider. Damien counts as an Ego too and he needed some quality time with his big sister <3 Also, enjoy or hate me for some of that foreshadowing…


	13. Peppermint

Draining the last of his fifth coffee and groping absentmindedly for his sixth, Schneep smiled and chuckled a little as he read the latest Christmas story he’d picked up from the shelf. It wasn’t often he had the opportunity to read for pleasure, given how busy the others kept him and how often he had to check his medical manuals to back up what he knew.

This story was about a jaded music teacher who decided to give his students complete control of their concert and frankly, he found it fascinating! He could never be in that position; he’d never be able to trust rookies to do what he did…that and he had no rookies to teach.

Actually, he didn’t have  _anyone_ to teach, he mused, his smile fading into a more pensive frown as he took a long slurp of his peppermint mocha. The others never really seemed interested in his line of work. Jackieboy knew enough to deal with one emergency if Schneep was occupied with another, but that was because he had picked most of it up intuitively, before the doctor had even been created. Chase was too busy, Marvin was too derisive of science, Robbie could never hold himself together, Jameson was clumsy, and Anti…well, he was unthinkable. He was Anti.

Schneep suppressed a shiver and set his book down, cupping his coffee in both hands and sipping it for several minutes until his shoulders could relax again. Peppermint was one of his favorite flavors; it could calm his thoughts in no time, even as the caffeine worked its magic on the rest of his body. The door to the lab opened abruptly, however, causing him to jump, slam the coffee down and spin his stool around.

“Henrik?” a groggy voice whispered.

Only one of the others called him by his first name so freely. Relaxing a little, Schneep instinctively snatched a mint from his bowl and popped it in. “Y-You are meant to sleep, Jackie…”

“Sleep is for the weak,” Jackieboy brushed it off, moving further into the dim lab and peering closely at the doctor. “You up for some late-night reading?”

“Of course! Expert doctors must always study, study, study!” Schneep assured him, casually laying his elbow over the title of the book on his desk. “You know me: all work and no play!”

Jackieboy raised his eyebrows, a warm smile sliding over his face. “Really? Maybe not playing, but I know The Last Holiday Concert when I see it.” Schneep blinked, flushed hotly and dropped his arm, and Jackieboy laughed lightly as he approached, perching on the desk and digging into the bowl of peppermints. “I haven’t read it in a while,” he remarked as he munched on them. “You wanna read some of it to me?”

“You  _want_ me to?” Schneep burst out before he could stop himself. Jackieboy blinked, tilting his head curiously.

“That’s why I asked.”

“Oh…okay,” Schneep stammered, hoping that his grin didn’t give away too much of his excitement as he picked up his book.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 13 of the 25 Days of Ego Christmas: Peppermint! If it wasn’t obvious, Jackieboy being a “big brother” to Schneep gives me so many feels ;w; I have a feeling Jackie just knows what Schneep needs right when he needs it; he's lovely.


	14. Gingerbread

To Chase, every day leading up to his kids’ visit felt like cold molasses dripping from a spoon: endlessly slow, with nothing to keep him occupied except his growing nervousness. He hadn’t seen Brianna and Connor in several months now; Stacy and her sister had seen to that quite well. He’d missed every holiday with them since Memorial Day and he still wouldn’t get to see them on Christmas. After much snapping and snarling, he and Stacy had agreed that advent was a proper compromise.

He wasn’t nervous. He  _couldn’t_ be nervous; he had to be the fun, playful, confident dad! If they didn’t enjoy their time with him, Stacy would make sure they never saw him again and they probably wouldn’t mind. The sick feeling in the pit of his stomach was nothing but a bad breakfast – and lunch – and dinner. Schneep had remarked that Chase seemed to get paler every day, but he brushed it off with a remark that the doc hadn’t cleaned his glasses in a while.

As soon as he heard the car door slam, he leapt to his feet, moving cautiously toward the front door. It burst open before he could even touch the handle and, to his disbelief and joy, both of his children offered huge smiles at the sight of him. Brianna, normally so pensive and wary around him, rushed forward instead, waving her hands so wildly that what she held was a blur.

“Dad, Dad!”

“Hey, sweetie!” Chase called back, barely getting the opportunity to evaluate how much she’d grown before she was pushing two large gingerbread men into his hands, beaming with pride.

“We made some ’brookies today!” Connor piped up through a full mouth, waving his half-eaten gingerbread man. “Made some  _extra big_  ones for you!”

“You…thought of  _me?_  Really…?” At their vigorous nods, Chase managed a smile despite his tightening throat. “Thank you; I love ’em. I don’t think I’m gonna eat them though; I’m gonna keep ’em nice and safe.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 14 of the 25 Days of Ego Christmas: Gingerbread! It was a lot of fun to draw my version of Chase’s kids again! They’re such cuties <3 Also "brookies" is totally a word; it's like bread and cookies, y'know?


	15. Christmas Movies

_8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night._

_9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid._

_10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people._

_11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord._

_12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger._

_13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,_

_14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men._

_That’s what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 15 of the 25 Days of Ego Christmas: Christmas Movies <3 I figured since I already pictured Jameson with the Charlie Brown Christmas tree, I should finish it up with the most important message of the movie!


	16. Fireplace

For the first time in a very long time, Google found that he could actually, genuinely look forward to something. There was very little he enjoyed about the holiday season, but this? This was something he was bound to enjoy. There was no chance it could fail…so long as he wasn’t interrupted.

He pressed his lips together in a near-grim smile as he lit the candles on the table and turned the bottle of wine a few millimeters to his left. It wasn’t something he could partake in, but it was a necessary touch. Everything had to be absolutely perfect – the scenery, the ambiance, and especially his own appearance. Straightening from his position over the table, he sidestepped toward the tall mirror Yandere had placed in the corner of the living room. Google had already gotten rid of the others for the night (thanks to his fellow Googles for insisting the others introduce them to snow), so the mirror was free.

He paused, squinting at himself for several seconds and then pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose, admiring how they glinted in the nearby firelight. His navy blue suit was neatly pressed and his power core, freshly charged, blazed brightly on his chest. He had brushed his long hair to a nice shine and his tie was perfectly straight.

Everything was right. Now all he needed was his… _date_.

His self-confidence wavered then, just a little, and his prominent G emblem dimmed as he considered.

This was a mistake. Why had he done this? Why had he – ?

Before his thought could continue, he heard her footsteps down the hall and pivoted, speed-walking to his chair and then leaning forward against the table with a casual air, as if he had been sitting there comfortably for several minutes. As soon as Amy appeared, a sense of triumph and – was it truly care? – flooded Google’s systems. She looked beautiful.

“Hello, Amy,” he greeted in a purr.

Amy blinked and tilted her head at him in puzzlement, her golden hair falling across her neck and shoulders. “Google…I thought you said  _Mark_ was going to meet me here for dinner.”

“That I did,” Google allowed. “He couldn’t make it, so he sent me in his stead. He said I was  _least_ likely to ruin the evening.” Actually, he couldn’t have made out what Mark was saying as Wilford dragged him off for another nightmarish interview, but he had a feeling it was a lot more vulgar than what he was telling her.

“Oh…alright,” Amy allowed cautiously, slipping toward the other chair. She smiled politely at him and Google’s smile softened in return as she sat. Exhaling evenly, he folded his hands under his chin, taking in the sight of her.

“Y’know,” Amy remarked with a small laugh, “if you keep that up, you might forget to pour the wine.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 16 of the 25 Days of Ego Christmas: Fireplace. What’s better than a romantic holiday dinner by the fireplace? ~~Also I ship Google with Amy really hard okay and it’s taking over my mind help me it hurts so good~~


	17. Stockings

There was nothing quite like the stocking tradition. New nails had to be hammered into the fireplace every year, which was a fairly dangerous process in this household; no matter which Ego had the privilege of doing it this year, they never failed to be unnecessarily anal about what tools to use, what brand of nails, and how far apart the nails should be from each other. They all had different methods and manners, but by some miracle, the nails went in and the stockings went up without fail, even if it took all day.

This year, it really had taken  _all day_ , as it was Wilford’s turn to put them up. Instead he’d hidden them around the house and told all of the others with a guiltless smirk on his face that if they wanted their stocking to go up, they needed to find their nail. It was meant to be a “fun little scavenger hunt”, a means for them to bond. Google had threatened to “bond” Wilford’s face with the nearest wall, but not even that had fazed the mischief-maker. He was determined to make them  _work_ for it.

None of them would dare to admit it, but the hunt was kind of fun after a while, at least after each of them found their own nails and started helping the others. There was some laughter, tears, anger, fear (If Wilford had gotten Chica to swallow one, he was dead meat – ) but eventually Wilford had all of the nails and was slamming them into the mantle. Dark, who was standing nearby, watched the process until it was finished and then growled wordlessly, turning on his heel and striding down the hall, brushing past the Host as he went. The Host ventured closer to Wilford, who was humming and chuckling as he flung the stockings into their proper places.

“The Host would like to inquire if  _all_ of the nails are accounted for,” he asked.

“Yep, this is all of ’em!” Wilford exclaimed, recentering Yandere’s and then bounding away, hollering out to the house, “That’s it! All the stockings are up! Took you all long enough to get the nails t’me!”

The Host stood alone in front of the fireplace, tilting his head at it. Wordlessly he reached out, running a hand over each of the stockings – counting. When his fingers reached the end, he swallowed, turned and drifted off to his room, finding his warmest pair of socks and smoothing them out carefully on his desk. He could feel blood dripping from the bridge of his nose as he bent his head over them, but it didn’t matter.

Not too long afterward, a pair of limp, bloodstained brown socks snuck quietly onto the mantle, set apart from the others where they dangled from screws, not nails. The names were crooked and oversized, written with a plain black fabric marker…and with love.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 17 of the 25 Days of Ego Christmas: Stockings. A member of my family gave me this idea and it broke my heart, but it was too good not to do ;3; The others wouldn’t even consider that Host and Dark would feel left out without stockings of their own. Dark didn’t even ask him to do it, but Host sees a lot more than some of them realize. And now after the holidays he’s going to be walking around in a pair of socks that has his name on one and “Dark” on the other <3


	18. Cookies

Everyone knew not to enter the kitchen when Dr. Iplier was cooking – or at least they would  _try_ not to enter it, but seeing as it was an open kitchen which led into the hall with their bedrooms, it was rather inevitable that they crossed into the threshold at some point during their day. Most of them would just lower their eyes to the floor when they were walking past or even shield their peripheral vision with a well-timed hand. 

Dr. Iplier was not to be interrupted when he was making his yearly cookies; they were works of art and should he be distracted for even a second, the results could be catastrophic. 

This year, however, just as he was admiring his freshly baked Warfstaches and Tiny Box Tims…Warfstache himself interrupted…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 18 of the 25 Days of Ego Christmas: Cookies! I didn’t have enough inspiration for a full story for this one. I may come back and add a full one later, but you can imagine where this little blurb leads! Not to a good place for Wilford, lemme tell you that much!


	19. Santa

“Are we live? Are we rolling?” As soon as his brother gave him a thumbs up behind the camera, Jim scooted as close to it as he could without it unfocusing, a huge grin lighting his face. “This is Jim! I’m here with my associate, Jim, as well as an unexpected guest! You may recognize this familiar face as our cousin, Jim, the esteemed newscaster for Channel 2 News of your favorite Markiplier TV channel! I think I’ll let him explain what we’re doing here tonight. Jim?”

“Thanks, Jim,” their cousin acknowledged from where he stood by the hearth. “It’s my honor to be a guest here tonight; we’re going to be hosting –”

“Taking part in,” Jim corrected in a hiss, almost too soft for the camera to pick up. “Hosting is for another Ego.”

“Ah. Tonight we’re going to be  _taking part in_  an exclusive interview with the greatest practitioner of home invasions on the planet,” Jim continued, revealing the microphone he was borrowing and gesturing pointedly toward the fireplace. “It would seem Santa has recovered well from the global warming catastrophe back in May of this year; we’ll have to ask him how he does it once he arrives, won’t we? Stay tuned for the start of this special edition news report, ‘Santa Claus: The Stocking-Stuffer Stalking YOU!’ And now for the weather. Jim?”

As soon as the camera made the cut to Weatherman Jim, who was wading through a flood many miles away in the Sahara, Reporter Jim bolted toward Newscaster Jim, clutching his arms excitedly. “This is going to be the biggest break of our careers, Jim! Can you imagine? I thought the Swedish pensioner who got run over by a toddler’s unicycle was big news – Ha! This is more than I could ever have hoped and I’m so glad you could be here to witness it!”

“It  _is_ an honor,” Jim assured him with a warm smile.

Newscaster Jim was a Jim of few words, Jim recalled, beaming in response and brushing it off to return to his brother. “Be sure to get a few establishing shots before he arrives, Jim; we wouldn’t want to – ” A sudden creaking from somewhere over their heads cut him off and he startled, peering up at the ceiling with eyes as wide as saucers. “Too late!”

“Sorry, Jim, we’re going to have to cut you off,” Newscaster Jim told Weatherman Jim. “Back to you, Jim!”

“Welcome back, viewers!” Jim greeted in an excited whisper. “Let’s hope your Jims are out of the room right now; they’re meant to be sleeping when Santa arrives, which means this exclusive has been rated unfit for young eyes – at the subject’s request, of course. Now, the moment you’ve all been waiting for…!”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 19 of the 25 Days of Ego Christmas: Santa! This was way too much fun to draw and write, honestly XD I love the Jims, especially Newscaster Jim; he’s too cute! And who better to vet Santa Claus?! He watches us when we’re sleeping! But don’t you worry; the family of Jims are completely qualified to keep us safe…provided they don’t arrive after we’ve already been murdered.


	20. Sledding

Before he’d actually gotten onto the mountain, Bing had been absolutely confident in his capability to handle a sled! It was supposed to be just like skateboarding, right?

Wrong. At this rate, he would be flat on his face within the first twenty seconds and he knew, he just knew, that Google was lurking somewhere in the nearby trees, recording  _every terrible_   _moment_ of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 20 of the 25 Days of Ego Christmas: Sledding! I think Bing might have been a little misinformed about what sledding is like – but hey, that was my experience with it too! I went sledding with my brother once and managed to get about halfway down the mountain before we hit a bush, he got stuck in the bush, and I fell out and rolled another ten yards into a rock. So much fun, right? ;w;


	21. Snowman

It had been  _ages_ since Jackieboy had built a snowman, he mused as he worked, wrinkling his nose at the mound of snow he was using as the base. It definitely wasn’t going to stand if it was lopsided! He knocked some clumps of snow off the top, squinting at it, and then shaking his head. Maybe that was why he hadn’t built one in so long; he’d forgotten how hard it was to  _start!_  It wasn’t as if he had the attention span to check it, recheck it, and check it again.

“But I know who does,” he decided with a grin, rising and brushing fine powder from the knees of his jumpsuit. “Marv!” he called, gesturing at his lump. “You wanna help me with…” He trailed off, noticing that the magician had drawn his wand and his eyes were aglow with fiery green magic. “…my snowman?” Jackieboy finished as Marvin sprinted past, his cape flapping wildly behind him.

“I will,” Marvin hollered over his shoulder before raising his hand, “as soon as I make them  _pay!_ ” With a flick of his wand, a hail of snowballs rained down onto the nearby cluster of tall bushes. First Chase and then Schneep burst out from their cover, shouting in combined terror and glee. Chase promptly tucked and rolled behind a set of sturdier trees, but Schneep had the better idea of diving behind Jackieboy for safety, clinging to his shoulders from behind.

“Henrik, what did you do?” Jackieboy asked, throwing a stern note into his voice as Marvin whirled around to face them with a glower.

“It…it was  _Chase’s_ idea,” Schneep panted, already starting to giggle. “We were outside, we saw Marvin taking trash to curb this morning…so we throw a little snowball at him!”

“Three!” Marvin corrected in a growl. “And the last one you didn’t even throw; you just  _stuffed it_  down the back of my shirt!”

“The snow was already there, so why not put more? Is good to keep the body cool!” Schneep squeaked, ducking down between Jackieboy’s shoulder blades when Marvin lifted his wand threateningly. Jackieboy held up his own hands to stop him.

“You wanna call a truce and help me with this snowman?” he suggested with a placating smile. Marvin paused for a moment, considering, and then huffed lightly, working his magic over the snow and erecting a tall, smooth, blank snow figure.

“Is it safe to come out?” Chase asked, rustling the branches he was hiding in.

“Yep!” Jackieboy assured him. “Let’s get this snowman done! Bring some sticks and leaves over from the trees since you’re right there.”

Chase promptly scrambled down from his perch, shaking leaves out of his hair and then bringing them along. Marvin narrowed his eyes at him as he passed and Chase grinned guiltlessly back, forcing Schneep to stifle another fit of laughter. Jackieboy gave the two of them a “don’t cause any trouble” look, trying not to show how it warmed his heart to see them with bright eyes and cold cheeks from a fun morning.

The four of them worked on the snowman for quite a while and somehow – Jackieboy wasn’t sure how – but he could see the character taking shape. As the others stepped back, Jackieboy smoothed down the side of the snow hero one more time, chuckling.

“That is…” Schneep snapped his fingers, working toward the name. “That is the ‘New Kid’, yes? From your South Park?”

“That’s right,” Jackieboy confirmed, stepping back and looking it up and down proudly. “And his team of superheroes couldn’t’ve done better.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 21 of the 25 Days of Ego Christmas: Snowman! Jackieboy thought his heart was warmed? Mine practically melted writing this! I love it when the Egos are a big happy family, okay? When Anti stops freaking them out, they’re just the most wonderful little cuties anyone could hope to see! <3


	22. Jingle Bells/Sleigh Bells

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 22 of the 25 Days of Ego Christmas: Jingle Bells/Sleigh Bells! I’m posting this a little later in the afternoon and I didn’t have a story prepared, but I’ll write one and add it to this description once I have the time! Marvin, meanwhile, can spend his time making sure the Salvation Army has a healthy donation! (The little scamp! You can get in big trouble for that! But hey, it’s for a good cause…And don't worry, most of those bills are fives!)


	23. Carols

“Is everything prepared, Edgar?” Dark asked through clenched teeth, his aura swirling protectively around him to repel any of the rowdy toddlers who tried to cling to his legs. Why they would ever think Dark was an approachable, rational adult who would fawn all over them was completely beyond Ed Edgar; he would leave that to the baby scientists to figure out.

Most of the kids he was trying to sell weren’t babies anymore, he noticed, not for the first time. On any other day he would give them a fond, nostalgic smile and remember all the good times he’d had with them. Today, however, with Dark creeping down his neck, it wasn’t a good time to reminisce. In fact, he didn’t have any time to reminisce.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m almost done,” he assured the other Ego, whose eyes narrowed in equal suspicion and distaste. “This is, uh, this is sure to get sales up,” Edgar added hastily as he stepped over a pair of children fighting over his cowboy hat. “Don’t you worry!”

“Why should I worry?” Dark countered with a rather menacing smile. “If this rabble isn’t gone by the end of the week, it’s them – and  _you_ – who will have to pay the price, not I.”

“Right,” Edgar concurred nervously. All the while, he couldn’t help regretting that Dark was so against the toddlers’ presence now. He never had been before; Edgar had managed to keep them contained to his room and his recording studio most of the time. In fact, many of them had never even been outside!

Of course it would be just Edgar’s luck that one would escape right when Dark was passing through the hall, tackling him around the legs and knocking him over. According to Dr. Iplier, who had been trying desperately not to chuckle at the time, Dark had nearly cracked his jaw when he landed face first on the floor.

Edgar didn’t see what was so funny about that; aside from the close call with his jaw, Dark had come this close to murdering the little tyke who had caused his fall. It was by a sheer miracle that Bim had rushed over in time to scoop him up and help him to safety.

Now, during the Christmas season, when everyone was busy with all of their  _other_ shopping, Dark was asking an impossible feat: sell all of the toddlers by next week. Not one left behind. Edgar didn’t want to imagine what might happen if he failed.

“A’right, a’right,” he scolded, scooping up the boys fighting over his hat and grimacing as they squirmed and pulled on his hair, giggling. “Give me that hat, would’ya? It’s not for playing with! We’re about to film something, so you need to smile big for the camera and let me do some talkin’.”

“Perhaps I should stay to oversee and  _advise_ ,” Dark, no longer smiling, suggested stonily to which Edgar shook his head so quickly that his hair whipped around his cheeks.

“Nope, nope, nope, that’s fine! I’m sure it’ll be great,” he assured him hastily. “Thanks f-for the offer, though!” As soon as Dark had prowled, agonizingly slow, toward the booth on the other side of the dimmed glass, Edgar exhaled slowly. “Right, let’s get started!”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 23 of the 25 Days of Ego Christmas: Carols! Poor Edgar just isn’t equipped to handle Dark’s threats, especially to the kids…He honestly does care about them, y’know. Spending that much time with them can lead to some deep bonds, so he’d probably be sad to see them go if Dark wasn’t threatening their lives.


	24. Chestnuts

It was a beautiful sight: almost the entire yard was blanketed in thick snow, unstained, untouched, sparkling in the pale sunlight. 

Of course, no one actually planned to go  _out_ into the snow after Dr. Iplier reminded them how cold it would actually be once they opened the door. “The snow’s to be looked at, not touched,” he declared, giving a pointed look at Wilford, who was halfway through shrugging into his puffy pink parka. 

“But – aw, come  _on_ , Doc!” Wilford hollered, throwing down his mittens in dismay. “You can’t just expect us to sit in here when there’s a – a – ” He waved his arms wildly at the window, at the pristine white fluff just waiting to be played in. “I can’t believe you would just let it all melt!”

“Will, there’s not enough to build a snowman – ”

“What about  _baby_ ones?!”

“– There isn’t even enough to cover the whole yard!”

“We’re not gonna be using the whole yard, just the  _sno-o-o-ow!_ ” Wilford put a long whine into his voice, one that grated on the ears and made the Egos who were too close to him grimace. “I just wanna have a little fun!”

“And knowing you, you’ll pack some ice into one of your snowballs, start a fight and knock someone out!” Dr. Iplier insisted.

Wilford bristled, doubling his fists. “Well, at least it would be an accident – ” A sudden gust of wind made him jump and he glanced toward the front door, which had just slammed shut. “Well, someone just went out and we haven’t heard any screams of terror yet!”

“I can’t believe…” Dr. Iplier hissed, moving toward the window and then pressing a hand to his forehead. “The King. Of course.”

The King of the Squirrels, seeming perfectly alright with the freezing cold weather, tromped cheerfully across the yard, leaving big bootprints on his way to the stump of an old tree. It had been one of his favorites, but after the tree got sick, this was all he had left of it. He settled down, munching on a bag of chestnuts and waiting patiently.

The first squirrel snuck toward him only minutes later, chittering cautiously, and the King beamed. “Come closer, subject!” he offered courteously. “I have a Christmas treat for you!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 24 of the 25 Days of Ego Christmas: Chestnuts! I kind of associate embarrassing memories with the song “Chestnuts Roasting on An Open Fire”. Long story short, I have terrible stage fright and I was forced to get up and sing it as part of a contest, which I won, and then they skimped out and I never got my prize, so I did it for nothing! But I figured I could make a new memory to associate with it now because the King is adorable and he loves his subjects to death <3


	25. Presents

It had been so long since he’d seen them – years, in fact, but that didn’t mean Bim had forgotten. He could never forget them; they had been on his show and he remembered every contestant who crossed his path.

He wasn’t as good at remembering their names; as he was writing the tag slips, he paused, tapping the end of the pen thoughtfully against his teeth. For the life of him, he couldn’t remember… “Yan!” he hollered at last. “You remember that one so-and-so? What was his name? Robin? Reynold?”

Yandere, giggling like a child and swinging his arms out hazardously, practically sang his answer as he spun across the room: “Ry-y-ya-a-an!”

“Oh, right, tha – ” Bim stopped up short as he looked up, covering his mouth to stifle his laughter when he found that at some point today, Yandere had thrown tinsel all over himself; it sparkled in his hair and around his neck and his arms, but bits and pieces of it were already flying off as he twirled around the room a second time. 

“ _Ryan_ ,” Bim reminded himself as he refocused on his work, biting his lower lip to hide his smile as he signed the tag with a flourish and pasted it onto the side of his gift. He was absolutely confident that Ryan would like his gift – if he’d put the tag on the right one. He hoped he had; he’d chosen each one  _very_ carefully and personally.

“Did you take my advice, give ’em some nice hardware?” Wilford drawled, causing Bim to jump at his sudden appearance. The older Ego leaned forward against the table, examining the already-wrapped presents intently. He was practically  _sniffing_ them, Bim noted with a chuckle.

“Of course I did! Wilford knows what’s best! Robin – er,  _Ryan_ gets the bomb and Danny gets the dynamite!”

“And what about your fellow Ego?” Wilford pressed. “Y’think of us?”

“Of course I did!” Bim repeated, with a scolding note in his voice. “But it’s not like I’m going to tell you what you’re getting!” As much as Wilford pressed and complained, Bim didn’t give in, so eventually he accepted defeat and wandered off, throwing stray tinsel at Yandere. Bim didn’t notice; he was already preoccupied with a more important gift.

He signed the tag very carefully, taking extra care to see that the little heart was symmetrical and that each letter was pristine and unsmeared. The lettering on the old-fashioned scroll inside was just as perfect. The bow was his favorite color, puffy and shiny, and even though the wrapping paper was simple, it was the inside that counted. Yandere paused in his spinning so he could catch his breath, staggering against the table and watching Bim examine the present.

“S’that – is that for  _your_ sempai?” he whispered with a conspiratorial smile.

“Wh – Well…I guess you could call him that,” Bim admitted with a shrug and a sheepish grin. “It’s just the official paperwork for his employment.”

“Aw, don’t you worry, Trim Bim!” Yandere exclaimed, patting his shoulder and then ruffling his hair playfully, making him chuckle. “I’m sure he’ll love it!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 25 of the 25 Days of Ego Christmas: Presents. Wow, it feels so weird to know I’ve done drawings for so many days! It’s been a lot of hard work but it’s been so much fun! I’m getting a little nostalgic :’) I hope you like this last picture and story combo for the 25 Days! Thank you so much for all your support of the others! And most of all, HAPPY HOLIDAYS!


End file.
